Judge Upholds Laws That Restrict Panhandling
A federal District Court judge has upheld two Santa Monica laws restricting panhandling that were challenged as unconstitutional, city officials said Friday.
In a Sept. 30 decision, Judge William D. Keller ruled that the laws legally protected people in public places from fear and intimidation. A lawsuit filed on behalf of six homeless people argued that the laws criminalized indigents and forced the homeless to leave the city.
The laws, passed by the City Council in 1994, place strict limits on panhandling. One prohibits panhandlers from soliciting people from closer than three feet and from following or blocking a person who declines a solicitation.
The second ordinance bans panhandling at ATM machines, outdoor dining areas, bus stops, parking lots and lines of five or more people.
“The provisions leave open ample alternate channels for solicitation,” Keller wrote in his decision.
Paul Freese, an attorney with the public-interest law firm Public Counsel, which filed the challenge, said he is considering an appeal.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
